Making Iodine

To make an addition to my halogen collection, I have a go at synthesising a small quantity of iodine from potassium iodide. Due to the lack of cheap oxidisers available to me, I decide to oxidise the iodide ion by electrolysis, with pretty limited success. Electrolysing a solution of potassium iodide mixed with sodium bisulfate results in iodine forming (albeit quite slowly) on the anode, assuming the electrode is inert. Running a cell like this for 20 hours at an average current of around 0.3 amps, I extract a couple of grams of elemental iodine. After purification by sublimation and then sealing in an ampoule, I'm left with close to one gram, not much. It would definitely be possible to improve the yield of this process (probably by increasing run-time or current density), but it seems that oxidisers like concentrated sulfuric acid, peroxide, or chlorine are MUCH more efficient at extracting the element. If you decide to make iodine yourself, I'd recommend going with those options rather than this electrolytic process. Links to my bromine videos: Making Bromine -    • Making Bromine   Ampouling Bromine -    • Ampouling Bromine